The Only Thing We Have to Fear - Power Rangers Halloween fic
by Mereel Skirata
Summary: What started out as a normal Halloween turns in a night of terror as Trini, Kimberly, Dana and Kelsey must face their darkest fears and deepest terrors. Fears that will test the very limits of their courage as Rangers and as themselves. Can ourfour heroes stand together against this fear?


Kimberly waited with excited impatience as her hand dropped away from the doorbell. She had been waiting for this day to come. Not that she had been the only one, every house she walked passed decorated in some way to mark the theme of the day. And Trini's was no exception, having deferred to the season with a pair of pumpkins on the doorstep, lights flickering in thier mouths, shining bright despite the twilight, filling the air with the smell of smoke and melted wax. And with memories. She had been missing her Dad a lot recently. When she was younger they had always gone Trick or Treating together, always with the knowledge that her mom would be home waiting for them to return. But those family days were gone. That was what made her so sad. It was silly to miss something like that, but she had been thinking about that more and more often recently.

Still, she was glad to be able to spend it with her new family though. While she was missing somethings from her past, she was glad to be able to reclaim some others. And she had her new family. She had other memories too. One reason she had been looking forward to this, a chance to cling to the other part of her life she once felt she had lost. Now that she had actually found her way back to it. Memories of those times helped ground her to the now, evenings spent crashing at Tommy's house or Billy's or Jason's, sharing their combined haul like they always did.

'Kimberly. Come in.' Kimberly had almost missed the door opening, raising her head as the light from the hallway spilled over her before Trini's mom ushered her over the porch. 'I hate to run. But I'm late meeting some friends for a work drink. Trini is upstairs, just finishing getting changed. You two have fun now.'

'Bye Mrs Kwan. You too.' Kimberly closed the door, following her friends mothers directions and following the familiar path up to her best friends room.

'Hey Trini. Are you ready to...you have got to be kidding me.' Kimberly trailed off as she stepped through the door, catching sight of Trini standing before her morphed, the candle light around the edges of her room reflecting in her visor. 'You aren't going out in that.'

Even under her helmet, Kimberly could tell she was grinning. It was the cock of the head. Not surprising she could after all the time she had seen her in costume, she got very good at picking up small gestures. 'Why not? Kidding.' Now she could see that Trini was grinning, her suit flashing out of existence in a flare of light to reveal her actual costume. 'Would be fun. But asking for trouble though.' They all agreed that it was too much a risk back when they had been younger. And not just because of Rita. It wasn't like she didn't know where they were. But they had all be too worried about someone making the connection. Plus the costumes weren't special to them.

'That's putting it mildly.' Kimberly eyed her outfit, running her gaze over the red cape over the blue top with the iconic 'S' on the front. 'No one would dare mess with you dressed like that.'

Trini put her hands on her hips in a heroic posture, pressing her hands into the skirt that just about reached her knees. 'That's what I'm hoping. Anyway, let's have a look.'

'At..what?' Kimberly was momentarily flustered, hoping to hide her reaction and not quite succeeding. This seemed to be happening a lot recently where Trini was concerned. She said something innocent and her mind just..twisted it around somehow.

'Your costume silly. Unless that coat is it.' Trini smirked, eyeing the red knee length coat tied tight around her waist.

'Oh. Right.' Kimberly fumbled with the sash, feeling her cheeks glowing. 'Promise not to laugh.'

'I promise.' Trini's earnest words were enough for Kimberly to shuck the coat, letting it slide off the heavy robe that lay beneath, a robe that hung over a plain white shirt and black skirt finished with a red striped tie. 'Why would you think I would laugh at that?'

'You haven't seen the hat yet.' Kimberly fished into the coat pocket, pulling out the narrow tapered hat that she thrust onto her head before she could change her mind.

'Suits you actually.' Trini laughed lightly. 'Perfect little witch. Ten points to Hufflepuff.'

'Gryffindor.' Kimberly shook her head, tapping her red scarf. 'You really should read the books.'

'I never could get into them.' Trini shrugged. 'Anyway, the others will be waiting. We should get going.'

-

'I'm just saying...after all the stuff we talked about, that is what you came wearing?' Kelsey's voice floated back to Kimberly and Trini as they walked over to where she waited with Dana and Karone.

'You did say something...well known on Earth.' Karone responded, waving a hand over her brightly coloured cheerleader outfit. 'But I couldn't choose what to wear. So Joel offered some advice.'

'Did he.' Kelsey's tone made it clear she knew or suspected where this was going.

'Oh yes.' If Karone had noticed her tone of voice, she didn't show it. 'He had lots of costumes in mind. Nurse. Maid. And something called a BunnyGirl. But I wasn't sure about any of those. Then I saw this on tv. It looked really fun. So I had the Megaship fabricate it for me.'

'Awww, you didn't go with..' Joel walked up behind them, side by side with Jason and Zach.

'Remind me to slap you later.' Kelsey cut him off, looping her arms through Karone's and Dana's before her could continue. 'Come on Karone. You stay with us. Leave the boys to their own thing. Whatever that is.'

-

'Do you guys do this often?' Trini directed her question as much to Kelsey as to the group of kids around them. 'Every year I mean.'

'It's sort of a tradition. Lightspeed Rescue has a more public face than..your team.' Dana whispered, not that she had too whisper, not with the general excited hubbub around them. 'We like to be part of the community. And what is more community spirited than helping local kids go trick or treating when their parents have to work.'

'Can't argue with that.' Kimberly agreed. 'I think it's great what you are doing. Almost makes me wish we could be a bit more open about who we are.'

'Well, why don't you?' Kelsey asked. 'I mean, what's to stop you?'

'Nothing I guess.' Kimberly said. 'Habit maybe. Not that I'm sure I want that kind of attention. I do have a life outside of...sorry, that came out wrong.'

'It's okay.' Dana patted her arm. 'And it's a good point. It's different for you guys. Sometimes I think we forget how different.'

'I hate to be a killjoy.' Jason stepped up, adjusting his belt with the two toy revolvers hanging from it. 'But don't you think we should be getting back? It is getting a bit late.'

'Awww no.' Came the collective response from around them. 'Can't we just do one more? Please.'

'I'm not sure.' Jason began, kneeling down before the young boy that had asked the question, putting him in perfect position to see his face drop into an irresistible pout. 'Okay, okay. We can do one more. Let's just go to this one over here.' He finished, his eyes falling on an older style house right at the end of the street, separated from the rest by a good ten meters or so.

'Are you sure anyone lives here?' Trini asked, the hairs raising on the back of her neck as she looked it over, running her eyes over the shutters on the windows and the broken swing seat in the front yard.

'Someone put a pumpkin out front.' Jason nodded to the flickering point of light on the porch. 'So someone must be in.'

As if that settled it, Jason strode up the path confidently, prompting Trini to hesitate. Something Jason didn't see because he was already ahead of her. But that didn't mean that her sudden hesitation wasn't noticed.

'You okay Trini?' Kimberly asked.

'Yeah. It's just..there was this old house like this one near my house in Angel Grove. No one went anywhere near it on Halloween. All the kids said a witch lived there and would dare each other to go up to the door. No one would though.' Trini replied slowly

While she had been speaking, Jason had taken the lead up the path towards the house, the gate creaking shut behind them.

'Not even you?' Kimberly asked.

'Least of all me.' Trini said lightly as Kimberly pushed through the gate to join the others. Her tone might have been light, but inside Trini was suddenly feeling uneasy. Like when you go into a dark room and even though you know it's empty, you can swear you feel someone is behind you. 'I never liked going anywhere near it.'

'You can stay here.' Kimberly offered.

'No.' Trini shook her head. As much as she appreciated the offer, she wasn't going to run just because something made her feel a little unsettled. 'It's just an old house.'

'An old house with nobody here.' Jason said as he tried the knocker again, tapping the heavy metal shape against the wood. 'Sorry, kids, guess we should head back.'

'Awww, okay.' Came the collective response as Jason ushered them back down the path with glance back over his shoulder. 'Nick, come on. That means you too.'

Feeling some rush of cold air around her neck that sent goosebumps shivering down her spine, Trini turned slowly. But what she saw next happened even more slowly than that. The young boy reached for the handle, grasped it, twisted it and the door yielded to him, seeminb to creak open without any force or movement from him.

'Jason. Stay with them.' Some instinct kicked in and Trini broke into a run, feeling as much as seeing that Kimberly, Dana, Kelsey and Karone were by her side. Then everything went crazy. They reached the door, the world spun and blackness claimed them all.

-

It was Trini that first awoke from that blackness, if awoke was the right word. She was that confused and disoriented. Her vision spun as she raised her head, not quite steady as a hand rested on her shoulder.

'Easy Trini.' Kimberly said. 'It's okay.'

'Is it.' Trini said, looking around her, unable to avoid seeing that everything had changed. They certainly weren't near the entrance any more. 'I don't see Kelsey or Dana or Karone. I'm not sure how that could be alright.'

'They can take care of themselves.' Kimberly said. 'And we should take care of ourselves right now. I know we have to be careful with our powers but this feels very wrong to me. So I say we morph, find the others and get out of here.'

'Yeah.' Trini stood. 'Yes. Let's do it.'

Trini made good to that, reaching around to the back of her costume, her fingers closing around the solid mass of her morpher. But only for a second. One instant she was gripping it, the next it vanished like smoke caught in the wind.

'What the..my morphers gone.' Kimberly cried and Trini's heart sank.

'Mine too. So much for plan A.' Trini said slowly.

'So it's taken a knock.' Kimberly said. 'We still have to find the others. Can't do that standing here.'

Trini wished she could be as brave as Kimberly at that moment. She was putting on a brave face. Which was about all she felt she could do. What was the alternative? To tell Kimberly how she felt? How could she when she didn't even fully understand what she felt. And why she was feeling what she was feeling.

How could she tell her that she was scared. How silly was that? Her. Being scared. She had been through this so many times. She had thought she had gotten over this feeling, thought she had managed to put that behind her. Part of her had still been dreading that the fears she had felt would come crashing back despite her best efforts.

'Something really weird is going on here.' Trini wasn't sure that saying that would actually help. But she just needed to hear the sound of her own voice. It helped her from focusing on where she was. Which was exactly the problem. 'How did we get down here? Wherever here is?'

'It's a good question.' Kimberly mused. 'If down is right. Which it does certainly feel like.'

'It all feels the same to me.' Trini said, again focusing on the sound of her voice. 'It's going to be hard to tell where we have come from. Or where we are going. Then again, it's not like we can leave a trail of breadcrumbs.'

'No bread for a start.' Kimberly laughed. 'Or any string either. Or anything...'

'Anything what?' Trini asked, raising her head to stare at her friend. Or at least, where her friend had been a bare second ago, the only sign that she had been there a trail of footprints in the dust that just..stopped.

'Kimberly?' Trini called out, fighting with every scrap of her will to control the fear that was suddenly clawing at her heart with icy fingers. 'Kimberly? Kimberly? Kimberly!'

The only response was those words echoing back towards her, filling the empty corridors with the weak almost mocking reflection of her voice. Bringing with them the knowledge that she was alone. 'Don't leave me.' Trini whispered to the empty air.

-

'Dana. Dana.' Kelsey shook her friends shoulder again, hoping that movement as much as her voice might rouse her. Not that it had done before. But the adding shaking seemed to have done what her voice alone couldn't.

'Let's not do that again.' The blonde struggled back unsteadily to her feet with the help of her friend. 'Whatever that was. Any idea where we are?'

'Inside the house I reckon.' Kelsey answered. 'I haven't seen Kimberly, Trini or Karone. Maybe we should try and find an exit. For all we know, the others are already outside and looking for us already.'

'I'd like to believe that.' Dana said. 'But who knows what could happen if we leave. We might not be able to get back in again. Then where would that leave them?'

'They have their morphers.' Kelsey countered. 'They could just get out that way. Same as us.'

'Oh yes?' Dana raised her arm to show her conspicuously blank wrist. 'I'd imagine theirs are missing too.'

Kelsey's hand flew to her wrist, hit by an icy shock of panic and annoyance at herself. How had she not noticed it was missing.

'Even more reason to find them.' Dana continued steadily.

Despite the pounding of her heart, Kelsey nodded. She was right of course. Deep down Kelsey knew it. But that knowledge did nothing against the fear she was feeling. Feeling and trying to hide from the others. And from herself. She couldn't do any less. Dana didn't seem seemed scared. And she had to be as tough as her. Otherwise what was she if she wasn't brave? It was all she had.

'But at least if we find an exit, then we know where it is.' Kelsey clung to that. Knowing they could get out would ease her mind. 'If we just stay close to the outside walls we should find a window or a door or something.'

'I'm not sure it's going to work like that.' Dana started to say as Kelsey moved through the doorway she had just opened. Whatever she was going to say next she never heard as that door swung shut as if someone had pushed it hard, the force yanking the handle from her grip.

'Dana. Dana.' Kelsey rounded on the door, panic creeping into her voice. Panic that only grew as she tugged on it. It couldn't be stuck, but somehow it was. That wasn't the scariest bit though. It was the silence from the other side. There was no way her teammate couldn't hear her. But the silence that came back was unavoidable. 'Are you there?' She tried to keep her voice from trembling but she couldn't as it hit home to her how actually alone she was, her voice echoing off the close walls before bouncing back to her as a lonely reply. 'Guys? Anyone?' That last word was almost spoken in the desperate hope that Kimberly and Trini might have turned up at that moment. A fools hope maybe, but it was better than being alone.

'Okay. Okay. Calm down. The door must have got jammed and Dana is trying to find away around to you.' Kelsey knew she was rationalising but it was all she had to cling too right now, the fear clawing at the edge of her control. 'If you walk around, you should be able to catch up with her. Easy.'

She might have been able to believe that as she set off. But the longer she walked, the more her doubts grew. She should have seen something of her, should have run into her by now. But each door she found just lead onto another room and another and another, each one looking exactly like the one before. So exactly that she couldn't be sure if she wasn't walking into the same one over and over again. Until she tugged open the next door, to reveal another room that was anything but empty.

'Oh..no way.' Kelsey breathed, unable to believe what she saw. 'Trini?' That might have been a relief to see her teammate if she had been alone. But she wasn't. 'Ashley? Aisha? Maya? Katie?'

Her words got no reply though, all of the figures staring at her with the same blank expression; unmoving, unblinking, all seemingly frozen. Yet all staring right at her. Now, Kelsey could have gone back. Could just have turned and left. But without really thinking about it, she stepped forward. She had to go through. It was the only way out. Her heart pounded with each step, feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest. Each step she felt like they were going to move and...she didn't know what. But she couldn't now shake the terror that gripped her heart, making her feel that she should just turn and run.

Then she couldn't run. As soon as she stepped forward into the middle of the room, they all moved. Not within seconds of each other but all at once. The first movement might have been subtle but she couldn't avoid it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and she froze. For a second she thought, hoped, she had imagined it. But then Trini took a step closer. Just one. And all the others moved in time with her. Before she could even think about moving, they moved first. All taking another step. She ran, managing to make it to the far wall. But the door was locked. Then another. And another with hands now outstretched. Reaching for her, grabbing and holding as the mass of figures pressed around her, fighting against her struggles to escape. The grip to powerful, the press of bodies too strong. Drowning her. Drowning her in a press of yellow, pushing her down under the heap of bodies until nothing could be seen of her except for one hand reaching for the ceiling.

Until a hand closed on hers. 'Run.' Came the urgent command, that hand tugging her out into the corridor. A command from a voice that Kelsey instantly recognised and recoiled from in the same instant, yanking her hand free. 'No..no. You aren't real. Stay away.' Kelsey screamed.

'Kelsey. Kelsey its me.' Dana's voice cut through her fear, making her look up. And this was Dana, not the lifeless copy she had been dreading seeing since she spoke.

'Dana,' Kelsey hugged her, breaking down in tears, unable to stop them pouring forth and dripping down her face. 'What happened to you? You left me. You left me.' She sobbed again. She didn't mean to say that, it just slipped out.

'I don't know. The door slammed and then vanished. I tried to find it. But I couldn't.' Dana replied. 'Then a door opened that lead me back to you. I thought you had opened it. Unless it was one of the others? Have you seen any sign of them?'

Kelsey shook her head, pushing away the memory of the lifeless Trini reaching for her, along with the memory of the hands dragging her down. 'No. I haven't.'

'Come on. They have to be around here somewhere.' Dana offered her hand to Kelsey again. 'They can't have gone far.'

'Okay.' Kelsey stayed close to Dana, her hand still clasped fiercely around hers. She didn't say it but if she kept a hold of her, she couldn't lose her. Then she wouldn't be alone again.

-

Alone is just how Trini felt. She had just plucked up the courage to go and look for Kimberly when she was plunged into darkness, as if all the light had just been sucked from her surroundings. It doesn't matter which way she turned her head, she still couldn't see, her eyes unable to penetrate the darkness that hangs over her like a shroud. She can't feel anything besides the floor underneath her feet, the only solid thing she has to cling to at this point. She can't hear either, not beyond the heavy echoing of her own breathing, bouncing back to her from the walls she cannot see.

She knows she should move, to try and find her way out of here. But try as she might, she can't seem to get up the courage. Never one for being scared, but she is now. And it's humbling to think, never mind admit. For deep down, she is scared. Scared that if she takes one step, she will step off the little solid ground that surrounds her and plunge into who knows what. Of course, she could be wrong. Her fears could be wrong. But she still can't shake them.

Trini's head twisted quickly, her heart suddenly beating a hundred miles an hour. Had that been a footstep? Or had she imagined the soft pad she heard behind her? Her palms suddenly damp and clasped tight, her ears strained for any further sound, both dreading and hoping to hear something in equal measure.

And yet still the darkness clung around her, seeming to pull tighter and tighter, growing more oppressive. Like the growing fear in her mind, gripping her as tight as the darkness. Fear she couldn't deny any more. And that acceptance of it, just made it worse. Her heart was pounding like she had just awoken from a nightmare but she knew this wasn't a dream. Even as much as she wished it was.

Just like she couldn't deny the terrible sense of being alone, truely alone and abandoned in this place. As much as she tried to push it away, that fear just kept coming back, stronger and stronger than ever. Leaving Trini struggling to control her fear, its claws reaching for her heart.

She had never told anyone this. Not Jason. Not Zach. Not even Kimberly. How silly was it to be afraid of the dark. But she was afraid. Deep down, as much as she might try to bury it. And she had burried it, or so she thought. But this fear had stayed with her, still haunting her to this day.  
Something she had never told her teammate's, always putting on a brave face. But she couldn't do that here. All of sudden, all in a rush, the mask of calm she had hidden behind seemed to be crumbling.

'This isn't real. This isn't real.' Trini muttered, her hands clasped to her head, fighting the terrible urge to run, to escape. Made all the more terrible for knowing she couldn't. 'This can't be real.'

'Let me out.' Trini screamed, her voice echoing back towards her. 'Let me out of here.' It was a scream of pure terror and desperation, fuelled by her growing panic. For she wasn't here now, trapped as much in the present as her memories.

Memories that pressed down on her like the darkness, the absolute and unending darkness crushing against her. She had never told anyone, but this was her one fear as a child. Darkness. One that gave her recurring nightmares almost every night. And this was her fear.

Every night she had woken from the same dream, from the dream of the darkness surrounding her, trapping her in its silent shroud. Clinging to her even as she awoke, the bright glow of the nightlight not quite driving it away. But there was no light here. No light. Just darkness.

It was that dream she was living now. Unwilling, unwanted, and yet unavoidable. Vividly real, terrifyingly so. You know that moment when you know it's a dream and know you will wake. Trini was denied that and she was so scared, she knew she had to be brave but couldn't be. It felt like all her courage was a mask that slipped away.

And the fear of it paralysed her. In her mind she knew she might just be able to walk out, to move and find some way out. But the thought of moving through that terrible darkness was almost too much to consider. If only she could have taken that first step, but somehow that was beyond her. It was like she was right back into her nightmare, only this time living it. Leaving her with nowhere to run. How could she run. It would follow her.

Then she heard something getting closer and she tried to shy away, but her legs refused to move. She flicked her head around, trying to follow it, it seemed to be coming from everywhere and all around her. She just couldn't move them. She cried out to stay away, curling up into a ball, her hands pressed over her ears.

'Trini. Trini.' Despite the urgent calling of her name, Trini didn't dare lift her head, pressing her hands closer to her ears. Not until a gentle touch rested on her chin and tipped her head upwards.

'Trini. What's wrong?'

Trini's eyes snapped open, seeing Kimberly standing before her. Seeing it, but not really believing it. And yet desperately relieved to see her, so relieved her heart might just burst. Within the space of one second she was on her feet and crushing Kimberly in a fierce hug, fighting not to cry as she buried her head in her shoulder.

'Nothing. I just...I thought...it's nothing.' Somehow Trini kept a hold of her composure.

'Are you sure?' Kimberly pressed softly. 'You looked scared. Did something happen?

'I..' Trini began, her fears on the verge of coming back. seeming silly standing here. 'It was...' Trini hesitated on the verge of telling her, building up to it. 'Do you have things that scare you?'

Kimberly paused, her hand resting on the door ahead of her. 'Ghosts. Ghosts freak me out. Totally.'

'You mean...like those?' Trini whispered, the blood draining from her face.

Just as the blood did from Kimberly's as she followed her gaze to see the spectral shapes that had drifted through the wall. 'Yes. Just like those.' Kimberly replied slowly, her hand reaching for Trini's, brushing her palm before thier fingers entwined.

'Run?' Trini said, oddly calm and deadpan despite the lightspeed beating of her heart.

'Run.' Kimberly agreed.

They lost track of how far they ran. It could almost have been comical but for how scared they both were; their growing fear driving them through room after room, finding nothing blocking their way. And hearing nothing behind them either. Hearing was all they could do, because neither of them dared to look back.

'Do you think we lost them?' Trini panted, struggling to catch her breath.

'I think so. I hope so.' Kimberly leaned on the door, breathing heavily, taking the moment to catch her breath. Sadly it was a moment that didn't last very long.

The click of the latch sliding shut made the duo raise their heads almost perfectly in sequence. Before they could move or take a single step the room burst alive with a wave of eerie green light, making both of them duck and flinch. It was Kimberly who raised her head first. And boy did she wish she hadn't.

The whole room that before had been as normal as you please was now a wreck. There was no other way of describing it. Cabinets and cupboards tipped over, books ripped from shelves, chairs thrown around with the same haphazard aim. And everywhere the eye could see, each surface dripped with slime, huge globs running down the walls and over all exposed surfaces.

It might have been that which made Kimberly scream. Or it might have been the four ghosts advancing through the walls. It certainly was them that made Kimberly practically leap into Trini's arms. She didn't care what it looked like right then, she was so scared at the moment. And had nothing to seek comfort in. Not her powers, not her skills, not her experience. Nothing. Just the closeness of her friend.

At the bottom line it didn't help though. The ghosts just kept advancing and Kimberly and Trini had no choice but to keep retreating before them. One step becoming too, becoming three until they were almost backed up against a pair of ruined bookcases, now hunkered under very edge of the low balcony that ran around this edge of the room.

With their eyes locked on the ghosts, they didn't see what was happening above them. Or rather what had appeared above them. Perhaps it was lucky that they didn't see the green ghostly skeleton gliding out of the wall above them. But then again, it just made it worse when they actually saw it. Not that they had seen it yet.

'Got any ideas?' Kimberly asked, her eyes flicking along the advancing line of ghosts.

'No. Have you?' Trini asked back, her eyes never leaving the closest of the four.

'No. Err...what's he pointing at?' Kimberly asked, dreading the question.

'Kimberly. Look.' Trini voice came back as a horrified whisper.

Kimberly dared to look up, then instantly regretted it. As much as she wanted to ignore the sight of the huge skull looming over them both, it was impossible. She could only stand with her eyes locked on the hideous shape bathed in more of the green light, the same light that suddenly glowed in its eyes. As if that was some unspoken cue, the jaw cracked open and started to drop, the gaping maw dropping down with a clack, leaving a gaping maw. A maw that quickly started to bubble up with more of the green slime that dripped off the walls, bubbled up so much that the mouth would soon not be able to contain it.

Now, that wouldn't have been a problem. But right at that moment a plethora of ethereal hands burst through the floor, locking around the two girls legs and ankles with a strong physical grip that wouldn't have seemed possible with how see- through they were. And yet the grip was strong enough to hold them in place.

'Oh no. No.' Kimberly breathed, her voice a fervent plea against what was going to happen. A plea that proved ultimately useless, the slime rolling over the edge of the jaw in an unstoppable wave of goo that poured right down over the two trapped heroes.

There really was no way to escape it, the stream was really that large. Kimberly's hand found Trini's before the slime hit, the growing blob engulfing them instantly. Heavy and cloying it clung more than splattered, irresistibly thick and sticky.

Kimberly squirmed as it worked its way lower, her hunched head doing nothing to stop it. Her hair had been instantly plastered down, blocking her view as effectively as the slime running over her face. And it wasn't stopping there. She squirmed as it oozed over her shoulders, cold, thick and clammy, her struggles doing nothing all all. The slime seemed to be mocking her, almost moving with her fevered movements.

Trini hadn't fared much better. While Kimberly had taken most of the splatter, there was plenty left for the yellow ranger, what hadn't rebounded off Kimberly's head wrapping around hers like a thick blanket of slime, more already building up on her shoulders, showing no sign of slowing as it surged and oozed down her arms, seeping further and further over her chest and back.

Kimberly's robe had protected her, but a heavier wash of slime knocked it from her shoulders, she shrieked as the renewed slime poured over her now helpless body, immediately seeping right through her shirt and threatening to do the same to her skirt. Within seconds Kimberly's shirt was soaked, clinging and hugging taut to her skin, pulled tight over her stomach and chest by the volume of the heavy liquid that still poured over her, threatening to do the same to her skirt.

While Kimberly had had the protection of her robe, Trini had nothing to hide behind. Her thicker shirt did nothing to resist it, leaving it stuck taut to her body. Already slime was trickling over her bare stomach from inside her shirt as much from outside, her once pristine red skirt succumbing to the creeping slime.

The huge deluge of slime slowly trickled to a halt, mocking the two heroes with a last few drops right on their heads even though they were little more green blobs by this point; just two sticky slime covered shapes standing next to each other. But only for a second. Neither of them could tell what happened, had no warning, but then the floor dropped away from under them, sending the pair plunging, slime and all, into the deep darkness below.

-

Despite her assertion that they would so find the way out, so far all Dana and Kelsey had found was dozens of rooms each one exactly identical to the last one. Far too many rooms to actually fit in the dimensions of this small house. Which either meant they were walking in circles (unlikely since they saw no sign of their footprints in the dust) or this place was somehow bigger inside than it appeared outside.

'This is getting us nowhere.' Kelsey sighed. 'Maybe we should go back to where we started.'

'And do what?' Dana asked lightly. 'I think our best chance is to keep going. We have to find something sooner or later.'

'Yeah, right. Each one of these rooms is just going to be as empty as the last.' Kelsey sighed.

'Actually, I wish this one had been empty.' Dana replied

It took a second of peering into the gloom to see what Dana had, her eyes finally adjusting enough to pick out the squat shapes dotted around the room. 'Why?' Kelsey asked. 'They are just pumpkins.'

'I know.' Dana replied with a whisper. 'That's the problem.'

'It's not like they can hurt us.' Kelsey soothed, picking up on how scared Dana seemed suddenly.

'I'm not so sure of that.' Dana whispered, taking a quick step backwards. This time Kelsey instantly saw what Dana had and it made her blood run chill for reasons she couldn't exactly understand.

The closest pumpkin moved as the both watched, turning to face them with a deep red light glowing in its eyes. That first small movement was like the first stone that starts an avalanche. One after another they all started to turn, dozens of the squat shapes now staring at them with something that could only be described as malicious intent.

No words needed to pass between them. Not even a glance was shared before they both broke into a run back the way they had come, hearing more than seeing the pursuit behind them. The sound actually wasn't that frightening, until you thought about the dozens of monstrous lanterns chasing you with a thunderous rumble like a hundred boulders right behind you. Kelsey had no idea where they ran or for how long, able to do little more than follow her friends lead until she staggered to a slow walk.

I think we've lost them.' Dana panted, risking a glance over her shoulder as Kelsey moved a few steps ahead of her.

'I hope so. I..Ahhh.' Kelsey's scream cut through the silent air.

'Kelsey.' Dana cried out, breaking into a run without taking the time to properly look ahead of her.

'No. Don't. Stay back.' Kelsey spun as much as she could, her hand outstretched in a desperate guesture.

The warning came just in time, Dana's feet skidding to a halt on the sudden edge to the wooden floor that Kelsey had just missed. And she could see why. Kelsey was already standing ankle deep in some thick black sludge or goo that clung to her feet as she tried to lift them, each movement making her other leg sink deeper.

'Don't move. I'll try to get something for you to grab onto.' Dana said, thinking quickly and reaching for her belt, unbuckling it as fast as she could.

'Better hurry. I'm still sinking here.' Kelsey shouted back.

Dana's head snapped up, watching for a long second as Kelsey's boots slipped deeper into the slime, her lack of movement only having slowed her decent. 'Okay. Okay. Nearly there. Here, don't miss.'

As she had freed her belt, Dana moved as close to the edge of the slime pit as she dared, making sure to keep her balance as she flicked the end towards her trapped friend like a whip.

'Got it.' Kelsey called out. 'I think I can...Dana, behind you.'

Dana had only the barest second to turn, seeing a single pumpkin a few feet away, it's maw already gaping open. That was all she saw before a jet of the same slime that her friend was now shin deep in splattered across her torso, the force of it enough to undo her care to stay away from the edge of the ooze. Fighting an impossible battle to keep her footing, Dana could do nothing as she stumbled backwards into the pit, the cloying slime already sucking hungrily at her feet. If it hadn't been for Kelsey she would have likely ended up on her butt in the goo, the stuck brunette still managing to catch her in her strong arms.

'Gotcha. Are you okay?' Kelsey asked.

'Yes. Except I'm stuck.' Dana tugged one foot experimentally, the thick slime barely yielding an inch:feeling no movement beyond her slow decent. 'Can you move?'

'No. And we are still sinking.' Kelsey replied.

'Tell me something I don't know.' Dana said, trying to keep calm, and to ignore the slime already lapping at her thighs. It was so strange, like liquid, nothing to keep them afloat. And yet sticky when they tried to move, clinging to them like heavy mud, resisting any effort to get free. 'I'm sure we can think of something. Can you hold me? I think I can reach my belt if you do.'

'I..think I can.' Kelsey struggled to adjust the weight of her teammate, trying to ignore the feeling of her thighs sliding deeper, the sticky sludge already lapping at her knees. 'Just..make it quick.'

The strain in her voice came from urgency as the gunk continued to swallow thier legs, dragging them deeper into its clutches. Dana was the one trying not to think about how deep she had sunk now, her fingertips brushing the clasp of her belt. But no more than that, the slick metal resisting her efforts to get a grip on it. She could hold it but once she applied pressure on it, it slipped from her fingers. 'I can't reach it. Maybe I could...'

'Don't.' Kelsey shrieked, feeling her legs lurch deeper. 'Don't Dana.'

'It's okay. I've almost got it. Just hang on. I...Urrrghhh.'

Dana might have started the sudden sound, but her exclamation of horrified disgust quickly joined with Kelsey's as both girls were hit with a huge spray of slime that completely wrapped around them, the cold clammy gunk seeping through their clothing as it almost knocked them off their feet.

Kelsey couldn't help a shudder running down her spine, that had nothing to do with the goo creeping under her shirt. Well, only a little. Sinking in it was one thing but being completely covered in it was another. And to think Dana had felt this once already.

She could only imagined what they looked like right now. Both girls heads hung heavy with globs of slime that dripped with cruel, almost mocking slowness down their necks and over their faces.

As if that humiliation wasn't enough, to make things worse, the fresh wash of slime had swept the belt away who knows where, buried deep under the surface of the goo most likely. Kelsey was really trying hard not to panic now.

She did the only thing and went back to struggling. Once glance showed the predicament they were in. Panic did grip her as hard as she grabbed Dana, her arms thrown around her waist as she felt as if the whole world was slipping out from under her.

She couldn't feel anything under her feet, nothing stable to rest on at all. Nothing to brace against. That didn't stop her struggling though, trying desperately to get her legs free. She could lift one. And that worked for a second. Before she lost whatever traction or grip she had, her balance slipping away and sending her sliding back. She couldn't manage to lift her hips clear. That was her fear. That once her hips sunk she wouldn't be able to get out.

Trouble is, that is just what happened. It might have been her sudden movement or the extra slime still pooling around them that had messed up the surface tension or what there was of it, but something sent them both plunging waist deep into the pit. And not just waist deep either. Kelsey was okay with her arms looped around Dana's neck, but the blond was not so lucky. Her arms followed the rest of her into the slime, sinking up to her elbows before she could do anything about it. Then there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Dana had resumed her struggles too, her hands and feet pushing down with all she had, hoping to somehow find some way to break the horrible suction that clung to every inch of her, gliding with a teasing touch along her bare legs. A horrible teasing touch, wickedly cool. Her hips could barely lift out of the black sticky slime, sucking higher and higher at her waist each time she struggled. It was helpless. With each struggle to lift her hips, to pull them up a bare inch, she would sink down twice that.

And through all that they kept sinking, the ooze creeping higher and higher along their stomachs. Dana saw that she had sunk already halfway towards her breasts. And to her horror that Kelsey had sunk even further, the goo already brushing at the bottom of the swell of her chest. Kelsey had noticed that too, clinging tighter to her friend as she increased her struggles, only serving to churn up the muck around her.

Her legs pumped futilely in the slime, no longer even able to lift her body even an inch. The slime was clinging to her with all of its vicious suction, her fevered movements doing little more than stirring the muck that swirled around her hips and calves. A little flash of stomach would appear as she strained, only to be almost gleefully reclaimed.

They shared a glance then stopped sinking as they closed thier eyes, feeling wonderfully solid floor under their feet. It was Dana who opened her eyes first, unable to believe what she saw even as her arm raised in silent warning towards the figures racing over to them

-

The last few moments were confused to Kimberly, she could remember falling. But not landing. Which seemed to be a trend. She could have blacked out she supposed. She had no idea where they were now. It all looked the same to her. At least Trini was with her.

'Trini.' Kimberly shook her shoulder gently, trying not to shudder at the slime still on her body, drawing her attention back to how messy she still was. 'Trini.'

'Ohhh. My head.' Trini groaned, pressing her hand against her head as she struggled to sit up. 'What happened?'

'I have no idea.' Kimberly helped her to stand. 'Are you okay?'

'I think so.' Trini winced. 'Apart from feeling completely funky.'

Kimberly managed a giggle. 'Funky?'

'Best word I could think off.' Trini said wryly.

'Still, you make a good point.' Kimberly tugged at her soaked skirt. 'Come on. Let's get out of here.'

Kimberly had no idea how to do that. But she was trying to put on a brave face here. When inside her stomach was squirming, something she wasn't used too. She had never felt scared like this, not during all her fights. All her battles. Not even on Phadoes. That was sort of the same. Since they couldn't morph then either. So why did this feel so much different. It was why she was fighting the urge to cling to Trini, taking comfort in her presence. At least she felt braver with her here. Trini was her rock here. Embarrising as it was to admit. She wouldn't be able to be half as brave without her here. Add some more thinking about coming back, how there were lots of times she had felt worried and thoughts of her. Like coming back to Angel Grove, to starting anew. Something made so much easier knowing Trini was going to be here too. Even if they had been thrown into things together, for the final battle. Being with her team and Trini in particular had helped her get her courage to fight. So why was it eluding her here.

'Did you hear that?' Trini asked

Kimberly cocked her head. 'No. Hear what?'

'Sounded like a voice.' Trini paused. 'There. There it was again.'

Kimberly still couldn't hear anything. 'Do you think it could be Kelsey and Dana?'

'Or Karone. Either way we have to check it out.'

'Yeah.' Kimberly took a deep breath.

They then heard a scream and broke into a run, feet pounding on the wooden boards. Trini was the first to emerge from the narrow passageway, with Kimberly hot on her heels. Only to be greeted by a voice that shouted out towards them.

'Trini, Kimberly. Don't. It's a trap.'

Those words came too late, the two girls headlong dash sending them both stumbling ankle deep into the pool of slime in which Dana and Kelsey were already mired shoulder deep, the thick ooze sucking at their shoulders.

'Ewww.' Kimberly groaned in disgust, lifting one foot out of the slime. Or trying too, the cloying slime already sucking at her ankle with too much force to fight against. 'Hang on. We will get you out.'

Despite her words, Kimberly was horribly aware of the suction and the slime creeping higher up her legs, already brushing the top of her thighs. Panic started to set in and she began to struggle, pulling on one leg, then the other. But she couldn't manage to lift her foot more than an inch. Trying the other did exactly the same.

Trini was struggling to lift one leg, applying all her force against it, trying to walk out of the slime. But her struggles did no better. Kimberly watched that with growing fear, all too aware that they were still sinking. Al there efforts had done nothing to stop there decent.

Kimberly glanced down to see with horror they are both sunk past their knees, the rippling slime churning and sucking at their legs despite how hard they struggled against the liquid ooze. Which was all they could do, not feeling anything under their feet to press against. It was that feeling that sent a wave of panic rippling through Kimberly as she almost felt herself over balancing, reaching for Trini for support in more ways than one.

Even as she supported Kimberly as much as she was relying on her friend to support her, Trini had never stopped her feet moving, from pressing into the slime, hoping that the fleeting firmness she felt might stay. But it never lasted more than a second, hugging her calves right down to her ankles and across to her toes without ever supporting.

None of this stopped the slime sucking and dragging at their hips, the thick muck not relenting even an inch. Then their frantic movements must have loosened the muck because they both plunged down, both girls slipping in until their arms were buried. Kimberly grabbed to Trini with a shrink, managing to keep her arms out of the slime. Trini wasn't so lucky, her arms plunging into the sticky morass, both girls now sunk almost up to thier shoulders, watching with horror as the slime lapped higher.

Kimberly might have had her arms free, but honestly in truth she was stuck as much as Trini. That hadn't stopped her struggling, this time as much from the feel of the slime surrounding all of her as from her efforts to extricate herself. It was completely yucky. It was under Kimberly's skirt, against her bare legs. Trini could feel that too, the sensation of it tight against her body, oozing around her. It was almost torture for them both, primally disgusting and icky, slimey and sticky at the same time, a mix that was unlike anything they had ever felt. It was worse then being coated in it. Here there was no escape. It was so strange, she couldn't handle it. Every move just highlighted her helplessness. She couldn't help squirming. Everywhere it clung, to arms, to legs and to their torso's as it crept higher, too tired to struggle. Literally sucking them down.

Struggling was useless now, they were both trapped as deep as Kelsey and Dana, nothing they could do letting them lift their bodies more than an inch, the cloying slime not relenting its vicious hold on them.

'Struggle all you want. It will do you no good.'

All four girls started at the cruel voice that filled the air with harsh cold laughter.

'Who are you? What do you want?' Kimberly twisted her head, trying to find the source of the voice, only to freeze as she sank lower.

That source revealed itself anyway, a towering dark shadow moving towards the edge of the pit, almost a deep darkness in the dark that surrounded them.

'I already have what I want. The four of you. And your delicious fear.' The voice laughed.

'You do not have me.' Another voice joined in, one that Kimberly instantly recognised. 'And I am not scared of you. That's what you want. Our fear. You feed of it like a parasite. That is why you have been trying to make us scared.'

'Be silent girl.'

'Why? Because you fear me? Fear that I am not afraid?' Karone stepped out of the shadows. 'Well, you are wrong. I'm afraid. I admit that. But I accept my fear. Fear cannot hold you back if you accept it. And I know fear. Fear so much greater than anything you can make me feel. And so do my friends. This place is making you afraid. But that doesn't mean you can't overcome it. How many times have you been scared and have overcome it together?'

'Your right. I have been hiding my fear.' Trini admitted. 'And maybe I shouldn't. Shouldn't have been trying to hold it back. So yes. I'm scared. I have been since I got here. But I'm not going to let my fear hold me back any more.'

'I was scared too.' Kimberly joined in. 'Scared to show I was scared. Because I didn't want to make you scared Trini. I was trying to be strong for you, when we should have been strong together.'

'I always thought I should be strong.' Kelsey continued. 'That's who I've always been. And admitting I was scared, I thought that would mean throwing all of that away. But admitting I'm afraid doesn't make me weak.

I've been clinging to childhood fears.' Dana finished. 'Hiding that weakness behind a mask. And yes, they still scare me. But I'm not going to hide that any more.'

'No..what are you doing? Stop.' The cold voice faltered a little, the harsh edge having dropped away, making it almost seem..ordinary.

'You can't make us.' Karone pressed. 'Just like you can't hold us back any more. We are stronger than you.'

'Noooo.' The shadowy shape wavered and shattered, filling the air with dozens of shards of black light that fell like snow.

Before anyone could ask what happened, everything changed. The room started to spin and shimmer like a heat wave, then there was a rush of cold and without having seemed to move, they were all standing outside the house. Still dripping in slime and their outfits ruined, but outside none the less.

'What happened? Where did you guys go.' All five of them turned to see Zach running over with Jason and Joel in tow. 'Nick turned up about a second after you..vanished. What exactly happened in there?'

Kimberly shared a look with the others before they all replied in unison. 'Don't ask.'

-

Kimberly was just happy to be relaxing under the showers back in the Marina Base now that they had returned the kids to their parents. They could have left Jason and the others to do that but somehow they all felt they had to see this through to the end. Even if they hung back while the boys actually did the returning. They had been getting enough odd looks just walking along the street.

By unanimous agreement all four girls had shucked their slime soaked outfits into the first shower, leaving them in a pile to hope the water would wash most of it out before retreating to take a much needed shower of their own.

As much as she was enjoying the soothing feeling of the hot water cascading over her head and shoulders, rinsing away the last traces of the suds that had helped scrub the slime from her hair, it wasn't just the shower Kimberly was glad of, it was the company. Despite how Karone had helped them, she still was feeling some lingering effects of her ordeal. So most likely the others were too. Speaking for herself, she knew she wouldn't have wanted to shower alone at home right now.

'It's a shame that Halloween was ruined though.' Kimberly raised her voice, suddenly feeling the need to hear something other than silence.

'Yeah.' Trini called back. 'I was really looking forward to hanging out afterwards. Maybe making a sleepover of it.'

'Who says we can't still do that?' Dana replied. 'We still have the Halloween weekend ahead of us remember. And this was supposed to be about honouring a tradition. So why don't we start a new one? Halloween weekend Ranger Girl Sleepover.'

'I think we need a better name for it. But it sounds good to me.' Kelsey finished.

'I'm up for it.' The conversation served to have come back to Kimberly, to have come full circle. 'How about tomorrow? My place? Sound good.'

'I think so.' Karone joined in. 'But...what's a sleepover?'

Kimberly couldn't help laughing. 'Karone, you are in for a treat.'

END.


End file.
